What the Murder of Iraqi Jews in 1941 Tells us About the Middle East Today

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The pogrom known as the Farhud contained many elements that we can recognize in the Arab world in the 21st century. Seventy years ago during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, June 1st and 2nd, 1941, Iraqis rampaged through the Jewish sections of Baghdad, killing between 100 and 600 individuals, injuring countless more, and looting whatever they could.

This was the turning point in the history of Iraqi Jews, who had resided in Mesopotamia for over 2,500 years. In the decade that followed, the community was systematically disenfranchised, robbed, and largely expelled. What lessons does this hold for understanding the Middle...

The question of the Nazi relationship with the Muslim and Arab worlds is far from new. Indeed, even before World War II, British and Zionist officials took note of the relationship between the “grand mufti of Jerusalem,” Haj Amin al-Husseini, and the Nazis.

says it all right there. Hitler recruited ragheads to kill the jews. little know is the “grand mufti " was the uncle of terrorists Yasser Arafat whose real name was Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat As Qudwa al-Hussaeini

If anything, the Muslims inspired the Nazis as well as the other way round. Many of the tools of dhimmitude were recycled by the Nazis. The requirement of being marked in public, for example. This is why so many Nazis were able to fit into the Arab societies after they fled Europe.

Numerous Nazis found shelter in the Middle East, especially Egypt and Syria, after the war, as well as employment in their security services and propaganda ministries. Some even converted to Islam, finding in it the fullest expression of their fascism. In this sense Nazism played a direct role in shaping the modern Middle East.

Three elements drew Arab and Muslim leaders to the Nazis. First was Muslim theological antisemitism, which meshed well with Nazi racist antisemitism. Muslims needed no lessons regarding Jew hatred. The Koran and other Islamic sources are filled with verses reviling Jews as filthy schemers and betrayers of the prophet and calling for their mistreatment and murder. The lengthy history of pogroms against Jews in the Arab and Muslim worlds shows these theological exhortations were taken seriously. New, however, was the language of Jews as vermin and the fantasy of a single global Jewish conspiracy. Treatment of Jews in Germany also emboldened Muslim anti-Semites who were encouraged to prepare their own attacks.

If anything, the Muslims inspired the Nazis as well as the other way round. Many of the tools of dhimmitude were recycled by the Nazis. The requirement of being marked in public, for example. This is why so many Nazis were able to fit into the Arab societies after they fled Europe.

Numerous Nazis found shelter in the Middle East, especially Egypt and Syria, after the war, as well as employment in their security services and propaganda ministries. Some even converted to Islam, finding in it the fullest expression of their fascism. In this sense Nazism played a direct role in shaping the modern Middle East.

Three elements drew Arab and Muslim leaders to the Nazis. First was Muslim theological antisemitism, which meshed well with Nazi racist antisemitism. Muslims needed no lessons regarding Jew hatred. The Koran and other Islamic sources are filled with verses reviling Jews as filthy schemers and betrayers of the prophet and calling for their mistreatment and murder. The lengthy history of pogroms against Jews in the Arab and Muslim worlds shows these theological exhortations were taken seriously. New, however, was the language of Jews as vermin and the fantasy of a single global Jewish conspiracy. Treatment of Jews in Germany also emboldened Muslim anti-Semites who were encouraged to prepare their own attacks.

And Hitler only had about 20 years or so of influence (including time prior to gaining power). The Nazi's had less than a generation to teach and indoctrinate in their ideals. The current Arab world had since been steeped in the anti semetic fascist tradition for more than 3-4 generations. What will they be capable of if they develop their military assets?

And Hitler only had about 20 years or so of influence (including time prior to gaining power). The Nazi's had less than a generation to teach and indoctrinate in their ideals. The current Arab world had since been steeped in the anti semetic fascist tradition for more than 3-4 generations. What will they be capable of if they develop their military assets?

The current Arab world has been steeped in anti-Semitic traditions for the past millennium and a half, since Mohammed decided that if the Jews of Mecca weren't going to go along with his program, then they were fair game for slaughter and slavery. The Qur'an and the Hadiths are full of anti-Jewish diatribes and libels, and Islamic jurisprudence assumes the perfidy of Jews in all cases. The Thousand-Year Reich lasted twelve years before being bombed into rubble. The Islamic jihad against Judaism has been going on since the seventh century. At its height, Nazism encompassed most of Europe, but none of Asia and very little of Africa. Islam, at its weakest ebb since the collapse of the caliphate in 1921 has held roughly one-quarter of the world's population in its grasp, and has been expanding steadily into Europe, North and South America and Australia. Anyone who thinks that the Grand Jihad is less of a threat than the Cold War or WWII hasn't been paying attention to history.